


In the Cavern

by FandomsMJ



Category: The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Genre: Gen, Scene from the Ballad of Belle Bonnet, brief slightly detailed description of injury, protective Jonny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23030533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomsMJ/pseuds/FandomsMJ
Summary: Jonny didn't know what he'd find at the bottom of the chasm, and he didn't care. He had to find Race.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	In the Cavern

Race's yell echoed through the cavern, fading as his safety line vanished into the darkness of the chasm. Jonny spared his hands a glance, less concerned with the torn gloves and raw skin and more upset with the fact that the rope had literally slipped through his fingers. He was only half listening to his father's voice in his headset as his eyes darted around the cavern. Plan, he needed a plan. His eyes landed on his safety line. Bingo. 

"We've got a problem Dad, Race just took a huge fall," he answered his father's question as he secured his safety line around a stalagmite. With any luck it'd be sturdier than the edge of the cavern floor. A solid tug on the rope confirmed it was secure and that was enough for Jonny. "I'm going after him." 

With that, he started descending into the darkness. "Jonny, you've got an experienced guide with you." Yeah, the guy that lit the flare that scared the bats, then just stood by and did nothing when Race fell. Like hell Jonny was going to rely on him. He ignored the rest of what his dad said as he continued on his way down. The stinging in his palms? Ignored. The very real possibility that Race could be dead at the bottom? **_Ignored_**. 

How far down did it go anyway? He couldn't see the glow of the flare that'd been thrown down a few minutes earlier. Then again, the flare did have a weak glow. Maybe it wasn't that far. The farther down it was, the more likely Race was injured. He wouldn't be dead though, of that Jonny was certain. Injured maybe, but not dead. He'd seen him survive too much for this to be the end. 

Even as he stubbornly clung to the belief Race would be okay he couldn't help the small voice in the back of his head scolding him for being too optimistic. It wasn't being too optimistic, it was experience. Everything always turned out okay, no matter how scary it got. Perhaps it wasn't the most realistic view to have... but it always got him through so like hell he was going to abandon it. 

He could see the glow of the flare now, he was close to the bottom. "Race?" his voice echoed through the cavern. He tried not to think about the fact he didn't get an answer. Finally, his boots hit the cavern floor. He disconnected his safety line as he surveyed the cavern. The flare's glow didn't reveal much, but a glance to the left revealed the outline of a figure lying on the cavern floor. Fear gripped Jonny's heart as he turned his head to look at it properly. He gasped at what the beam of his headlamp revealed. 

A skeleton sat slumped against the wall. The remnants of fabric clung to its bones, their dirty, tattered appearance speaking to many, _many_ years there on the cavern floor. If he didn't have more pressing concerned, Jonny might have stopped to wonder what had happened to that person leading them to their final resting place.   
  
A groan drew his attention and he turned. The beam of his headlamp cut through the darkness and revealed Race sitting on the floor slumped against the cavern wall. "Race!" Jonny rushed over and knelt down beside him. It was hard to tell if he was conscious, but he was definitely alive. 

"Jonny?" Ice blue eyes squinted up at him. Conscious too, good. 

"Are you alright?" he asked, scanning for injuries. The most obvious one was Race's shoulder. His sleeve was torn, the purplish-blue skin beneath in a similar state as blood spilled from a nasty gash. Not a minor wound, but not life threatening either. 

"I'll live," Race answered. A hand went to his wounded shoulder as he shifted his weight to sit up straighter. 

Just as he'd predicted. Race was injured but okay, he'd be okay. Finally able to relax somewhat, Jonny gestured to the skeleton, "I'm glad that wasn't you back there." 

"That makes two of us." If he was surprised to see the skeleton he didn't show it. "Guess it's not my time yet."   
  
Jonny gave a quiet sigh, the adrenaline running through his veins starting to subside. He moved to sit beside him for a moment only to stop when his headlamp caught something. He picked up the object, a small cylinder in a very similar state to the skeleton. 

"That's a pretty old cartridge," Race remarked, studying it for a moment. Briefly Jonny wondered if he could tell what caliber it was. 

"I wonder if this, is responsible for that." Jonny nodded to the skeleton. Now that he could let his mind wander and think, he wondered if that skeleton was responsible for the paranormal signals they were supposed to be investigating. He made a mental note to ask his dad... and internally cringed as he realized there would be a lecture waiting for him. 'No heroics' and all that. 

Right, like his dad would be disappointed he went after Race. Especially once he heard what Rawlings did - or rather, _didn't_ do. 

"Maybe." Race raised and lowered his good shoulder in a shrug. He removed his helmet and tossed it - and the ruined headset - aside, muttering, "Or maybe Mr. Bones and I had the same climbing instructor." 

Yeah the lecture he was gonna get from his dad was nothing compared to what the guide would be facing. Where was Rawlings anyway? Still cowering in the cave above? 

The wind picked up, where it had come from, Jonny didn't know. Maybe there was another entrance to the cavern... that might make getting out easier. The wind continued to ramp up and he held his helmet with both hands to keep it from blowing away. "Is it my imagination, or did it suddenly get cold?" he glanced over at Race as the howling wind grew louder. 

Maybe the skeleton wasn't the source of the paranormal signal, but a victim of it. That thought wasn't reassuring as the cavern was lit up revealing a pond in the center of the cavern. That pond was the source of the sudden light as the howling grew louder. 

Neighing horses, the crack of a whip, and rickety wooden wheels joined the howling wind. Azure eyes widened in horror as skeletal horses came out of the pond, pulling a decrepit carriage behind them. "The gold is for the children!" A woman's voice shouted - likely belonging to the skeletal driver. 

Jonny wasn't going to stop to ask as he and Race made a break for it. Where would they go? He had no clue. Anything was better than staying here though. 

Race tripped - or maybe his legs gave out, Jonny wasn't sure which - and went down with what sounded suspiciously like a muffled curse. Jonny didn't even think twice about turning to help him. "Go!" Race shouted. "Jonny, I said go!" 

"I'm not leaving you!" Yet Race wasn't getting up, and Jonny didn't have the strength to drag him anywhere. The specter carriage was growing closer, the woman still screaming that the gold was for the children. They were getting too close. 

Time for plan B. Jonny stood in the carriage's path. She wanted to get to Race? She was going to have to go through him. Race's roar of "Jonathan, move!" went ignored as he locked eyes with the skeletal driver. 

It was almost to them now. He could feel the warmth of the flames encasing the re-animated skeletons. "Stop!" he shouted, like it'd actually be able to do something. 

"The gold is for the children!" the specter shouted once again. Then the carriage was upon them. The heat of the flames and the cold of the specter hit Jonny simultaneously as the horse, carriage, and driver went straight through him. Then all at once it was over. The screaming stopped, the wind died, the only evidence of the ghostly carriage was the burning wheel tracks on either side of him. 

Chest heaving, adrenaline pulsing through his veins, Jonny looked over at Race then back at the pond where the specter had come from. As he took a minute to process everything that had just happened, he only really had one thought: 

His dad was going to have a field day with this. 

**Author's Note:**

> Been having a little trouble with writing recently so I decided to take a scene and write my interpretation of it. I decided to start with this scene from The Ballad of Belle Bonnet simply for the fact that it's probably my favorite scene of the episode and I love playing around with the idea of Jonny being the one to put himself in harm's way to protect Race when it's 'supposed' to be the other way around.


End file.
